Canadian Blood Services (CBS) has received approval from Health Canada, the federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, to reduce the current deferral period for blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) from indefinite to five years.

The US government has three studies underway and a fourth in the planning stage, the results of which will yield hard evidence to help determine if a continued ban on blood donations for gay men is still warranted.